My friend Michael came up to me one day, years after I shot his wedding, and told me that he just got into a fight with his wife.

“Well, I’m sorry,” I said, not really knowing how to comment. He then laughed and finished his thought.

He told me that he decided to go read and give the argument between he and his wife some space. As he glanced across his bookshelf he saw a book he had not visited in a while, his wedding album. He pulled it down and began to thumb through the photos. He told me that as he flipped through the pages he began to relive his wedding and the vows he made to his love wife. Then he said something extraordinary happened. Michael realized how petty and small his current argument was with his wife in relation to their love. He told me how these photos had challenged him to be a better husband.

The reason I take photos is because I love to tell stories. Personal experiences like this one have shown me just how meaningful a visual story can be.

When I take photos I am not just trying to cut out a visual slice of a pretty day. I am telling the story of the day two people became one, the first birthday cake for life newly begun, or a seniors hopeful smile as they enter into a new chapter of their adult life. This is why I love my job.